Chapter 52: Max's Perspective
Just when Ron was wrestling with the question of where to sleep that night, his phone buzzed at the perfect moment. It was a text from Caroline.
"Ron, can you come with me to the house? I mean, the mansion that got sealed off. My bite guard is misaligned and I need to get my retainer."
"Of course, babe~" Ron typed back and stood up. "Looks like gaming's gonna have to wait. I'm heading out for some business and won't be back tonight."
After all, how could controlling some virtual character in a game compare to spending time with the leggy goddess that was Caroline?
"Hey Ron, can I come with you?" Penny stood up. Even though Ron had never shown any real interest in her, she'd been fantasizing about that muscular body of his for ages.
She wouldn't mind a little casual fun.
"Sorry Penny, even for hookups I have pretty high standards. You can ask Rajesh about that if you want verification!" Ron didn't wait for Penny's reaction before strutting out with complete confidence.
Seriously, when you could be with Caroline's impossibly long legs and Max's incredible... assets, why would anyone settle for Penny's completely average everything?
This was one of the main reasons Ron had so casually handed Penny over to Leonard. A girl like Penny might be considered attractive by regular guys, but for Ron, she just didn't make the cut.
Penny stomped her foot in frustration and looked at the innocent-looking Indian guy. "Rajesh, are Ron's girlfriends really that much hotter than me?"
Rajesh nodded awkwardly, and Penny immediately regretted asking the question that only brought her humiliation.
At the Channing estate—or rather, the former Channing estate—Caroline was already waiting. Ron was surprised to see Max there too, which made him a little nervous, but with his years of experience as a player, he kept his cool.
"Ron, finally! Can you help me get up to the roof so I can slip in through the skylight? Just like in high school when I paid off the security installer at fifteen to skip putting sensors on the skylight?"
"Caroline, where exactly are you planning to sneak off to? Meeting some Romeo up there?" Max said with a knowing smirk. Ron could tell she was already aware of his relationship with Caroline, but she wasn't letting on.
"Max, we didn't know each other in high school. Back then I was at some tiny school in East Texas, constantly cleaning up after my hothead little brother who managed to piss off everyone from elementary through high school." Ron shrugged helplessly.
Max definitely knew. This was totally a test!
Caroline remained completely oblivious to the tension, lost in memories of her privileged childhood. "Sometimes I'd sneak out just to stargaze and daydream."
Max and Ron both rolled their eyes in perfect sync.
"Your life back then was basically my wildest daydream," Ron quickly changed the subject. "But if we're talking about breaking in, that's not gonna be too difficult. You ladies wait here, I'll be right back."
Ron quickly found an excuse to escape the awkward situation.
Rich people security? Please. Ron was pretty sure the Channing estate gates wouldn't stand up to his rocket launcher from earlier. But since this was Caroline's former home, and considering they'd already caused enough chaos during the day, it probably wasn't smart to make more noise.
That didn't mean Ron was out of options though. Ten minutes later, he returned to the two women: "All set, let's head in."
Ron walked straight up to the Channing mansion's front door. Caroline panicked: "Wait, Ron! There are motion sensors and cameras everywhere! Once the alarm goes off, security will be here in five minutes!"
"I know, Mr. Channing mentioned that to me," Ron winked, "but don't forget what I do for a living. I just disabled all the sensors and set the surveillance system to loop the last hour of footage. Nobody's gonna spot us."
"If you want, Your Highness can even sleep in her castle tonight." Ron gave a theatrical bow and extended his hand to Caroline. In his palm was the key to the Channing house: "Doesn't Her Majesty miss her old four-poster bed?"
"Yes!" Caroline squealed excitedly, jumped into Ron's arms, and kissed him full on the mouth. She grabbed the key and ran to unlock the door.
"Hey! What's wrong with my bed?" Max, taking advantage of Caroline's excitement, smacked Ron's shoulder to voice her frustration. "If you've got issues with it, you can just never come back. Fairy tales always end with the prince and princess living happily ever after, right?"
"Come on, how could that be? Isn't this more like Cinderella?" Ron tried to explain, but the more he talked, the deeper he dug himself. Max's gorgeous eyes were shooting daggers at him.
"So you think you're the prince? And working-class girls from Brooklyn like me just don't deserve to be with you fancy types?"
Max started to walk away, but Ron quickly pulled her into his arms. Max struggled briefly but couldn't break free, so she let him hold her. Ron took the opportunity to whisper in her ear:
"Look, Caroline and I go way back, you know that. With everything she's going through, I can't just abandon her as a friend, but I don't want to lose you either. Yeah, I'm being a selfish bastard."
Ron decided to just own being the bad guy. After all, he hadn't made any exclusive promises to either of them.
One major difference between American and traditional relationship concepts was the generally more open-minded approach to dating. There were plenty of people with arrangements like Ron had with Max.
Of course, most of these casual relationships stayed just that—no strings attached, no expectations. But some couples did develop real feelings and become exclusive. Once that shift happened, they usually settled into more conventional relationship patterns.
It was obvious Max was starting to show signs of wanting something more serious, which Ron found both useful and concerning.
"How are you planning to tell that delicate little princess?" Max twisted playfully in Ron's arms, and Ron immediately felt his body respond.
"Simple—I'll tell her the truth." Ron was caught off guard by Max's seductive movements: "If that doesn't work, I could always convert to Mormonism. What do you think?"
Damn, Max was incredible.
(End of Chapter)
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